Remote control of fire suppression systems

ABSTRACT

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a computer system, information that indicates that a fire has been detected in a building and that a fire suppression system within the building has begun dousing the fire; monitoring sensor information from one or more sensors located within the building; determining, by the computer system and based on the sensor information, whether the fire has been extinguished; activating, in response to determining that the fire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off a water supply to the building, the feature being presented on a computing device for a user who is associated with the building; receiving, after activating the feature and from the computing device, a command to turn off the water supply; and transmitting, by the computer system, a control signal that causes an electromechanical device to close a water valve within the building.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/153,516, filed Oct. 5, 2018, now allowed, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 15/197,399, filed Jun. 29, 2016, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,092,785, issued Oct. 9, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/932,413, filed Nov. 4, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,403,046, issued on Aug. 2, 2016, and claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/075,662, filed Nov. 5, 2014. Thedisclosures of the prior applications are considered part of and areincorporated by reference in the disclosure of this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This document generally describes technology for remotely monitoring andcontrolling fire suppression systems, such as sprinkler systems that areinstalled in homes and other buildings.

BACKGROUND

Fire suppression systems, such as installed fire sprinkler systems, haveused extinguishing components, such as sprinkler heads, that aremechanically and/or electrically activated in response to the detectionof the effects of a fire (e.g., heat). Once activated, suchextinguishing components will continue to extinguish/douse until a watersupply for the extinguishing components is turned off.

For example, some sprinkler heads have glass bulbs that apply pressureto a cap that acts as a plug to prevent water from flowing out of thesprinkler head. Such glass bulbs are heat-sensitive, such as through theuse of an internal liquid that expands in response to heat, and burstwhen a threshold temperature is reached, which releases the pressure onthe cap and allows for water to begin flowing out of the sprinkler head.Such sprinkler heads relying on mechanical components for activation arenot able to be shut off individually, but instead rely upon someone tomanually turn off the water supply to the heads for them to stopextinguishing/dousing.

SUMMARY

This document generally describes technology for remotely controllingfire suppression systems. While fire suppression systems will save abuilding from destruction by fire, they can themselves inflict anextensive amount of water damage to a building. For example, firesuppression systems are typically deactivated by fire fighters who areresponding to the fire emergency. However, response times for such firefighters can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors, such as thedistance between the building and the closest fire station and whetherfire fighters in the jurisdiction are part of professional or volunteerforces (e.g., fire fighters in volunteer forces may not be on-call andinstead may first need to travel to the fire station before respondingto a call). During even short response times, water from an activatedfire suppression system can cause a great deal of damage to a buildingand to personal property that is contained therein.

The technology disclosed in this document allows for minimal damage tobe inflicted upon a building and property contained within the buildingwhen a fire suppression system has been activated. For instance, thetechnology disclosed in this document allows fire suppression systems tobe activated and to fully perform their intended duty—to fullyextinguish fires—while at the same time permitting for the firesuppression system to be remotely controlled and deactivated once thefire has been fully extinguished. Thus, damage can be minimized fromboth a fire within a building and water used to extinguish the fire in asurrounding area from the fire suppression system.

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving,at a computer system, information that indicates that a fire has beendetected in a building and that a fire suppression system within thebuilding has begun dousing the fire; monitoring sensor information fromone or more sensors located within the building; determining, by thecomputer system and based on the sensor information, whether the firehas been extinguished; activating, in response to determining that thefire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off a water supply to thebuilding, the feature being presented on a computing device for a userwho is associated with the building; receiving, after activating thefeature and from the computing device, a command to turn off the watersupply; and transmitting, by the computer system, a control signal thatcauses an electromechanical device to close a water valve within thebuilding.

Such a method can optionally include one or more of the followingfeatures. The computer system can transmit the control signal to aremote computing device that is located within the building and that isin communication with the electromechanical device. The remote computingdevice can include a control panel for the building. The remotecomputing device can include a home automation computer system for thebuilding. The electromechanical device can include a solenoid valve thatis located along the water supply for the building and at a positionupstream of the fire suppression system. The computer-implemented methodcan further include sending, in response to receiving the information,an alert to the computing device that causes details about the fire inthe building to be output to the user, wherein the feature isdeactivated on the computing device at the time the details are output.The computing device can be programmed to present the feature in a userinterface of the computing device. Activating the feature can includethe computer system transmitting activation information to the computingdevice to cause the computing device to activate the feature. Thecomputing device can be programed to prohibit user selection of thefeature when the feature is deactivated, and the computing device can beprogrammed to permit user selection of the feature when the feature isactivated. The feature can include a selectable button that is displayedin the user interface. The computer-implemented method can furtherinclude verifying, after determining that the fire has been extinguishedand before activating the feature, that the fire has been extinguished.The verifying can include, after determining a first time that the firehas been extinguished, repeatedly determining whether the fire is stillextinguished for a period of time using real-time sensor informationfrom the sensors in the building. The verifying can include, afterdetermining that the fire has been extinguished using sensor informationfrom a first type of the sensors, determining whether sensor informationfrom a second type of the sensors also indicates that the fire has beenextinguished. The one or more sensors can include one or more of:temperature sensors, smoke detectors, thermographic cameras detectinginfrared (IR) light, thermal imaging cameras, and flame detectingdevices. The computing device can include a mobile computing device.

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving,at a mobile computing device and from a computer system, a notificationthat a fire has been detected at a building with a fire suppressionsystem supplied with water from a water supply; presenting, by themobile computing device in response to receiving the notification, auser interface providing real time status information for the fire, thereal time status information being provided by the computer system basedon information detected by one or more sensors within the building;automatically disabling, by the mobile computing device when the userinterface is initially presented, a feature for remotely turning off thewater supply in the building; receiving, at the mobile computing device,extinguish information indicating that the fire has been extinguished;activating, by the mobile computing device and in response to receivingthe extinguish information, the feature in the user interface;receiving, at the mobile computing device, user input selecting theactivated feature in the user interface; and transmitting, by the mobilecomputing device and to the computer system, instructions to turn offthe water supply in the building, the instructions causing the computersystem to send a control signal to a device at the building to turn offthe water supply to the fire suppression system.

Such a method can optionally include one or more of the followingfeatures. The notification can include a push notification on the mobilecomputing device, and the user interface can be presented by a mobileapp that is being executed by the mobile computing device. The featurecan include a selectable button, and the real time status informationcan include (i) information indicating whether the fire is still burningand (ii) information indicating whether the fire suppression system hasbeen begun dispensing water onto the fire.

In one implementation, a system includes one or more sensors locatedwithin a building that are configured to detect fires in the building;an electromechanical device configured to control a water valve locatedalong a water supply for the building and at a position upstream of afire suppression system for the building; and a computer system with oneor more processors that are programmed to: receive information thatindicates that a fire has been detected in the building and that thefire suppression system within the building has begun dousing the fire;monitor sensor information from the one or more sensors located withinthe building; determine, based on the sensor information, whether thefire has been extinguished; activate, in response to determining thatthe fire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off the water supplyto the building, the feature being presented on a computing device for auser who is associated with the building; receive, after activating thefeature and from the computing device, a command to turn off the watersupply; and transmit a control signal that causes the electromechanicaldevice to close the water valve within the building.

Such a system can optionally include one or more of the followingfeatures. The system can further include a remote computing device thatis located within the building, that is in communication with theelectromechanical device, and that is programmed to: receive the controlsignal transmitted by the computer system, and control operation of theelectromechanical device to close the water valve in response toreceiving the control signal. The electromechanical device can include asolenoid valve that is located along the water supply for the buildingand at a position upstream of the fire suppression system. The computersystem can be further programmed to send, in response to receiving theinformation, an alert to the computing device that causes details aboutthe fire in the building to be output to the user. The feature can bedeactivated on the computing device at the time the details are output.The computing device can be programmed to present the feature in a userinterface of the computing device. The computer system can be programmedto activate the feature by transmitting activation information to thecomputing device to cause the computing device to activate the feature.The computing device can be programed to prohibit user selection of thefeature when the feature is deactivated, and the computing device can beprogrammed to permit user selection of the feature when the feature isactivated.

Other embodiments of these aspects include corresponding apparatus andcomputer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices,configured to perform the actions of the methods. A system of one ormore computers can be configured to perform particular operations oractions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or acombination of them installed on the system that in operation causes orcause the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programscan be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtueof including instructions that, when executed by data processingapparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions.

The details of one or more implementations are depicted in theassociated drawings and the description thereof below. Certainimplementations may provide one or more advantages. For example, thedisclosed technology can minimize the aggregate damage that is caused tobuildings and personal property contained therein when fire suppressionsystems are used to extinguish fires in buildings. For instance, byallowing a user, such as a homeowner, to have the ability to turn off afire suppression system once a fire has been extinguished by a firesuppression system, the damage that would be caused by a fire can beminimized and the damage that would be caused from water used by thefire suppression system can be minimized. In contrast, without suchtechnology, a fire suppression system will continue to run until aperson is able to arrive at the building to physically turn off the firesuppression system, during which time extensive water damage can beincurred.

In another example, the disclosed technology can use redundancies toverify that a fire has been extinguished by a fire suppression systembefore allowing a user to remotely turn off the fire suppression system,which can allow for the technology to operate effectively and safely.For instance, without redundancies to determine whether a fire has beenextinguished, a fire may incorrectly be detected as being extinguishedand the fire suppression system may be turned off prematurely. In such asituation, the fire could reemerge and cause extensive damage to thebuilding. By using redundancies, such as multiple different sensors andsensor systems to verify whether a fire has been extinguished, the riskof a fire reemerging after the fire suppression system has been shut offcan be minimized, which can minimize both the risk of fire and waterdamage to the building. Additionally, the use of redundancies canimprove the likelihood that the disclosed technology will be permittedfor use by fire marshals and others overseeing the installation andoperation of fire suppression systems, which can improve the reach andaggregate benefit of the disclosed technology.

In a further example, through the use of a central computer system todetermine whether a fire has been extinguished by a fire suppressionsystem, the disclosed technology can provide reliable, independent, andconsistent determinations of when fires have been extinguished by firesuppression systems. Such centralized determinations can improve theaccuracy and performance of the disclosed technology.

Other features, objects, and advantages of the technology described inthis document will be apparent from the description and the drawings,and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-E are conceptual diagrams of an example system for remotelycontrolling a fire suppression system.

FIG. 2 depicts a system for remotely controlling a fire suppressionsystem.

FIGS. 3A-C depict flowcharts of an example technique for remotelymonitoring and controlling a fire suppression system.

FIGS. 4A-B are conceptual diagrams of systems that include examples ofother authorized parties who may receive and control water shut offvalves within a building.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A-E are conceptual diagrams of an example system 100 for remotelycontrolling a fire suppression system. The conceptual diagrams depictoperation of the system 100 in response to a fire that is suppressed andextinguished by the fire suppression system, including the remote shutoff of the fire suppression system.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the example system 100 includes an examplebuilding 102 (e.g., house, office, apartment) that has a firesuppression system 104 installed throughout the building 102, forexample, in rooms A and B of the building 102. The example firesuppression system 104 that is depicted is supplied by a firesuppression water line 106 that branches off of a main water line 108and, according to fire codes in many jurisdictions, before a domesticbranch 110 of the water line. The main 108 can further includes a valve112 that, as indicated by the symbol to the left of the valve, is openin FIG. 1A.

The fire suppression system 104 includes sprinkler heads 114 a in room Aof the building 102 and sprinkler heads 114 b in room B of the building102. The sprinkler heads 114 a-b can be any of a variety of appropriatetypes of sprinkler heads, such as glass bulb sprinklers (e.g., headsthat are activated by a glass bulb with heat-sensitive material thatcauses the bulb to break and allows a cap to fall away to release waterfrom the sprinkler head), fusible link sprinklers (e.g., heads with atwo-part heat sensitive metal alloy that holds a cap/plug in place and,in response to the alloy reaching a threshold temperature, causes thecap/plug to fall away to release water from the head), pendant sprinklerheads (e.g., heads that hang down from the ceiling), concealed pendantsprinkler heads (e.g., heads that are recessed and covered within theceiling and drop down when activated), upright sprinkler heads (e.g.,heads that project up into space), and/or side wall sprinkler heads(e.g., heads that stand out from a wall). Other types of sprinkler headsare also possible.

In response to detecting a fire or conditions that would indicate afire, such as smoke and/or heat, one or more of the sprinkler heads 114a-b in the fire suppression system 104 can be activated and can beginextinguishing/dousing the building with water supplied to the firesuppression water line 106 from the main 108. The sprinkler heads 114a-b can include fire and/or fire condition sensitive elements that cancause the sprinkler heads 114 a-b to be activated and to beginextinguishing/dousing, such as glass bulbs and heat sensitive metalalloy components. For example, the fire suppression system 104 can be awet pipe system (the fire suppression water line 106 always being filledwith water) such that, when the sprinkler heads 114 a-b are individuallyactivated by their fire sensitive elements (e.g., glass bulb bursts whenthreshold temperature reached), they can immediately beginextinguishing/dousing the nearby area with water. In another example,the fire suppression system 104 can be a dry pipe system (the firesuppression water line 106 containing pressurized air (or other gases)that applies pressure to a clapper blocking water from entering the firesuppression water line 106) that fills with water after a fire sensitiveelement of an individual sprinkler head 114 a-b is activated.

The sprinkler heads 114 a-b may additionally, or alternatively, beactivated by other devices and/or sensors that are external from theheads 114 a-b, such as smoke detectors, heat sensors, and/or otherdevices/sensors that may detect the presence of fire and/or fireconditions. For example, the fire suppression system 104 can be apre-action system that requires two or more sensors/devices to detectthe presence of a fire for the heads 114 a-b to begin extinguishing. Forinstance, an example pre-action system can initially have no water inthe fire suppression water line 106 and can use a valve/cap thatreleases water into the water line 106 in response to a smoke detectorin the building 102 detecting smoke. After water is released into thewater line 106, the line 106 becomes wet and the sprinkler heads 114 a-bcan begin extinguishing/dousing once their fire sensitive elements areindividually activated (e.g., glass bulb bursting from heat reachingthreshold temperature).

When activated, the sprinkler heads 114 a-b can send signals to acomputing device 116 (e.g., control panel, home automation computersystem, computing device within the building 102 transmittinginformation to one or more remote computer server systems, smartphones,tablets, desktop computers) that indicate that they have been activated.For example, the sprinkler heads 114 a-b can be part of a low voltagesystem and can be supplied by power over one or more low voltage lines.Through the use of the low voltage system, wired and/or wireless signalsindicating that the sprinkler heads 114 a-b have been activated can besent to the computing device 116. For example, activation of thesprinkler heads 114 a-b can cause one or more circuits of the lowvoltage system to be completed, which can be detected by the computingdevice 116 (or other devices in communication with the computing device116). In another example, the sprinkler heads 114 a-b can includewireless transmitters that, when activated, transmit one or morewireless signals to the computing device 116 that indicate that theyhave been activated.

Remote control of the fire suppression system 104 can include the use ofsensors that are located throughout the building 102, such as a firsttype of sensors (sensors A 118 a-b) and a second type of sensors(sensors B 120 a-b) that are positioned in rooms A and B. The sensors118-120 can sensors that are capable of sensing fires and/or conditions(e.g., smoke, heat) that indicate the presence of fires, such as smokedetector devices, heat detector devices (e.g., thermometers), imagingdevices that are capable visually detecting fire/heat across one or moreportions of the light spectrum (e.g., thermographic camera detecting theinfrared (IR) light spectrum, thermal imaging camera), and/or flamedetector devices (e.g., devices that detect fires by analyzing and/orcomparing one or more portions of the ultraviolet (UV) and IRspectrums). The sensors A 118 a-b and B 120 a-b can be different types.For example, the sensors A 118 a-b can be heat detectors and the sensorsB 120 a-b can be imaging devices to visibly detect fire/heat.

Like the sprinkler heads 114 a-b, the sensors 118-120 can transmitsignals indicating the current state within the rooms A and B to thecomputing device 116. For example, the sensors 118-120 can be part ofthe same or different low voltage system as the sprinkler heads 114 a-band can transmit signals through one or more wired and/or wirelessconnections to the computing device 116. These signals can be used toverify whether there is a fire within the rooms A and B, and when such afire has been sufficiently extinguished to permit the water supply forthe fire suppression line 106 to be turned off.

FIGS. 1A-E depict an example scenario of a fire 122 being detected andextinguished in room A by the fire suppression system 104, and theremote control of the fire suppression system 104 through the use of aremote computer system 124 (e.g., one or more computer servers, cloudcomputing system, desktop computer) and a user computing device 126(e.g., mobile computing device (e.g., smartphone, personal digitalassistant (PDA), tablet computing device), laptop, desktop computer). Ata high level, the remote computer system 124 can receive informationfrom the computing device 116 regarding the state of the fire 122, asdetected by the sensors 118-120, and the fire suppression system 104.The remote computer system 124 can provide the user computing device 126with alerts and real-time (or near real-time) information as to what isgoing on in the building 102 with regard to the fire 122, and can onlyprovide the user computing device 126 with the option to turn off watersupply to the fire suppression system 104 once the remote computersystem 124 has sufficiently verified, based on the information providedby the sensors 118-120, that the fire 122 has been extinguished.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the computing device 116 can receive informationfrom the sprinkler heads 114 a-b and the sensors 118-120, as indicatedby step A (128). The computing device 116 can detect that one or more ofthe heads 114 a-b of the fire suppression system 104 have been activatedand, from the sensor 118-120, that there is a fire 122 in room A, asindicated by step B (130). For example, an example object 124 (e.g.,couch, carpet) in room A is on fire, which causes two of the sprinklerheads 114 a in room A to be activated and to begin extinguishing thefire 122 with water. Being part of a low voltage system, the sprinklerheads 114 a activate a water flow switch that can transmit a signal tothe computing device 116 that they have been activated. The sensors 118a and 120 a can also transmit information to the computer system 116regarding the fire 122, such as temperature information, smokeinformation, and/or thermal images of the room A, the object 132, andthe fire 122.

In response to detecting the fire 122 and activation of the firesuppression system 104, the computing device 116 can transmit anotification to the remote computer system 124 over a communicationnetwork 134, as indicated by step C (136). The communication network canbe any of a variety appropriate networks over which the computing device116, the remote computer system 124, and the user computing device 126can communicate, such as the internet, mobile data networks (e.g., 3G/4Gmobile data networks), wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi networks,BLUETOOTH networks), local area networks (LANs), wide area networks(WANs), virtual private networks (VPNs), fiber optic networks, cellularnetworks, and/or any combination thereof.

As indicated by step D (138), the computer system 124 can process andlog the notification received from the computing device 116. Forexample, the computer system 124 can determine that there is a fire inthe building 102 and can retrieve contact information (e.g., username,identifier for user computing device 126 (e.g., telephone number)) forthe users associated with the building 102 (e.g., owners, landlords,tenants, emergency response system for the jurisdiction within which thebuilding 102 is situated) for alerting the users. As indicated by step E(140), the computer system 124 can alert the appropriate parties, suchas the owners of the building 102 and fire department in thejurisdiction where the building 102 is located. For example, an alertcan be transmitted over the network 134 to the user computing device126.

As indicated by step F (142), the user computing device 126 can receivethe alert (e.g., push notification, email, text message) and can outputthe notification on the device 126. An example alert 144 is depicted asbeing displayed by the device 126. The alert 144 includes a notice thata fire has been detected in Room A of the building 102, and provides theuser with selectable options to remotely monitor the fire from thedevice 126, to forward the alert 144 to another user and/or device, andto contact (e.g., place a phone call) to emergency services, such as911.

Referring to FIG. 1B, in response to the user of the device 126selecting the monitor option, the user computing device 126 can transmita request to computer system 124 to monitor the fire, as indicated bystep G (146). Before and around this same time, the computing device 116can continue to obtain sensor information from the sensors 118-120, asindicated by step H (148), and to provide the sensor information to thecomputer system 124, as indicated by step I (150). The computer system124 can receive the continual stream of sensor information from thecomputing device 116 and can use it to determine the state of the fire,including whether the fire has been extinguished, as indicated by step J(152). In response to the request from the user device 126 to monitorthe fire and based on the determined state of the fire, the computersystem 124 can select sensor information and user interface (UI)features to provide to the user device 126 for monitoring the fire, asindicated by step K (154).

For example, the computer system 124 can be programmed to only providethe user computing device 126 with the option to remotely shut off thewater supply to the fire suppression system 104 once the fire 122 hasbeen verified, through one or more of the sensor systems 118 and 120, tohave been extinguished. In the example depicted in FIG. 1B, the fire 122on the object 132 has not yet been extinguished, so the computer system124 may not provide the user computing device 126 with the option toturn off the fire suppression system 104.

The computer system 124 can provide the selected information and UIfeatures to the user computing device 126, as indicated by step L (156),which can be output by the user computing device 126, as indicated bystep M (158). An example user interface 160 is depicted as including avariety of information 162 a-d regarding the fire 122.

For example, a first portion of information 162 a identifies theinformation 162 b-d as pertaining to monitoring of room A in thebuilding 102. The second portion of information 162 b provides thecurrent status of the fire 122 as detected by the sensors A 118 a thatare located in room A, which in this example are image-based sensors(e.g., IR imaging devices, visible light cameras). The information 162 bprovides a real-time (or near real-time) image/video of the room A andalso status information for the fire 122 (“fire detected”) from thosesensors 118 a, as determined by the computing device 116 and/or thecomputer system 124 based on the information from the sensors 118 a. Thethird portion of information 162 c provides the current status of thefire 122 as detected by the sensors B 118 b that are located in room A,which in this example are combination smoke and heat sensors. Currenttemperature and smoke information for room A are provided and updated inreal-time (or near real-time), and a status of the fire 122 is provided,as determined by the computing device 116 and/or the computer system124. A fourth portion of information 162 d includes a deactivated userinterface feature (e.g., button, slider) that, once activated, can allowthe user of the device 126 to shut off the water supply to the firesuppression system 104.

Referring to FIG. 1C, the fire 122 in room A has now been extinguishedby the fire suppression system 104. However, even though the twosprinklers 114 a that were activated have extinguished the fire 112,they are still extinguishing/dousing room A of the building 102, asdepicted in FIG. 1C. As described above, many types of the sprinklers114 a-b will continue to extinguish/douse once activated (e.g., cap/plugreleased by glass bulb breaking or metal alloys reaching thresholdtemperature), will not shut off on their own, and will continue to solong as water being supplied the fire suppression water line 106. Tostop the activated sprinklers 114 a from extinguishing/dousing room A,the water supply to the fire suppression water line 106 may need to beshut off so that the activated sprinkler heads 114 a can bereplaced/repaired (e.g., replaced with heads having unbroken glass bulbsholding caps/plugs in place). Under many building codes to ensure thatthe fire suppression system 104 is not selectively disabled, the firesuppression water line 106 branches off of the main line 108 with thedomestic water line 110 and does not have a separate or independent shutoff valve. In such situations, to turn off the water supply to the watersupply line 106, the valve 112 for the main water line 108 to thebuilding 102 will have to be shut off.

During the period of time when the fire 122 has been extinguished andthe sprinklers 114 a are still extinguishing/dousing room A, as depictedin FIG. 1C, additional and unnecessary water damage may be caused toroom A as well as to other parts of the building 102. To minimize thisadditional damage to the building 102, the computing device 116 and thecomputer system 124 can allow for remote control of the water supply forthe fire suppression line 106 (e.g., the main line 108 and the valve112) to be controlled and turned off from the user computing device 126once the fire 122 has been verified to be extinguished. As depicted inFIG. 1C, the computing device 116 can continue to obtain sensorinformation (step H, 148) and to provide the sensor information to thecomputer system (step I, 150). The computer system 124 can also continueto determine whether the fire has been extinguished (step J, 152) and toselect appropriate information and UI features to present to a user onthe user device 126 (step K, 154).

When performing step J (determining whether the fire has beenextinguished), the computer system 124 can examine a variety of factorsto hedge against the risk of the fire suppression system 104 beingturned off prematurely (before the fire 122 has been fully extinguished,which would allow for it to reemerge in room A or other parts of thebuilding 102). For example, the determination made by the computersystem 124 the as to whether the fire 122 has been extinguished can bebased on whether each of the sensor systems (e.g., sensors A 118 a-b andsensors B 120 a-b) has provided information that indicates that the fireor fire conditions have ceased for at least a threshold period of time(e.g., 5 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3minutes, 5 minutes). Disagreement among information provided by thesensors systems as to the state of the fire 122 can indicate that thefire still exists, that it may reemerge if the extinguishing/dousingdoes not continue, and that the fire suppression system 104 should notyet be shut off. Information from each sensor system (e.g., sensors A118 a-b and sensors B 120 a-b) can be compared against thresholds thatindicate whether the sensors are detecting a fire and/or conditions thatindicates a fire. For instance, the thermal images provided by theexample sensors A 118 a can be analyzed to determine whether anyportions of the images indicate heat in excess of a threshold value(e.g., 70° F., 80° F., 90° F., 100° F.), smoke information provided bythe example sensors 120 a can be analyzed to determine whether smoke iscurrently detected, and ambient temperature information for the room Aprovided by the sensors 120 a can be compared against threshold values(e.g., 70° F., 80° F., 90° F., 100° F.). Temperature threshold values,for example, may be specified as an appropriate fixed value, or as avariable value that depends on (e.g., is 5 degrees, 10 degrees, oranother suitable number of degrees greater than) an ambient airtemperature (e.g., a setpoint temperature, a measured temperature) ofthe building 102 at a time (e.g., a half hour, an hour, two hours)before the fire activation system 104 was activated.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1C, the computer system 124 candetermine whether the fire 122 has been extinguished and, based on thatdetermination, can enable the UI feature for remotely shutting off thewater supply to the fire suppression system 104 on user computing device126. The computer system 124 can provide the updated sensor informationand the UI features, including the water shut off feature, to the clientcomputing device 126, as indicated by step L (156).

In response to receiving the information and UI features, the usercomputing device 126 can update the user interface 160 and can activatethe water shut off button, as indicated by step N (164). For example,the information 162 a-d that is presented in the user interface 160, canbe updated to indicate that the current status of the fire in room A.For instance, the second portion of the information 162 b is updated todepict a current image/video of the room A, which includes the firebeing out, the sprinklers still extinguishing/dousing the room A, and astatus determined by the computer system 124 (and/or the computingdevice 116) that, based on sensor A, the fire has been extinguished. Thethird portion of the information 162 c is updated with the currenttemperature and smoke status for room A, as well as with the statusdetermined by the computer system 124 (and/or the computing device 116)that, based on sensor B, the fire has been extinguished. The fourthportion of the information 162 d is updated to provide the user with aselectable feature (e.g., button, slider) to shut off the water andinformation indicating that the feature has been activated.

Referring to FIG. 1D, the user computing device 126 can receiveselection of the water shut off feature, as indicated by step O (166),and in response can transmit a shut off command to the computer system124 and/or to the computing device 116, as indicated by step P (168).The user interface 160 can be updated to reflect that the shut offcommand has been sent, as indicated in the fourth portion of theinformation 162 d. In some implementations, the shut off command can besent to the computer system 124, which can verify the command as beingappropriate and/or authorized given the determined state of the fire andcan retransmit the command to the computing device 116. In someimplementations, the shut off command may be sent from the usercomputing device 126 directly to the computing device 116 inaddition/alternative to the command being sent to the computer system116.

As indicated by step Q (170), the computing device 116 can receive theshut off command and, as indicated by step R (172) and in response toreceiving the command, can activate the valve 112. The computing device116 can send a signal (e.g., wired signal, wireless signal) to one ormore devices that are able to electromechanically control the valve,such as a solenoid valve. A valve control device can open and close thevalve in response to the signal using electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic,or other appropriate actuators, and may include one or more sensors thatmonitor changes in valve condition (e.g., an open or closed state). Sucha device may be part of or separate from the valve 112, and may be ableto report the state of the valve to the computing device 116 (e.g.,valve 112 is open, valve 112 is closed). As indicated by the symbol nextto the valve 112 in FIG. 1D, the valve 112 closes and is in a closedstate following direction from the computing device 116.

As indicated by step S (174), the computer system 124 can process andlog the shut off command received from the user computing device 126.The computer system 124 can log some or all of the information that isreceived from the computing device 116 and/or the user computing device126 in conjunction with the building 102, which can be used by any of avariety of parties at a later time, such as fire investigators,insurers, manufacturers, and/or builders.

Referring to FIG. 1E, the computing device 116 can detect whether thevalve 112 has been successfully shut off, as indicated by step T (176).For example, the computing device 116 can receive information from thevalve 112 and/or electromechanical device used to shut off the valve 112indicating the state of the valve 112. The computing device 116 mayadditionally and/or alternatively obtain readings from one or more flowmeters that are installed along the water supply after the valve 112,such as a flow switch that is installed on the fire suppression line106.

The computing device 116 can transmit information about the status ofthe valve to the computer system 124, as indicated by step U (178). Thecomputer system 124 can receive and log the status information regardingthe valve, as indicated by step W (180), and can transmit an updateregarding the status to the appropriate parties (e.g., user computingdevice, fire department, emergency response services, insurer), asindicated by step X (182).

The user computing device 126 can receive the update and can output thevalve status information, as indicated by step V (184). For example, thefourth portion of the information 162 d can be updated to indicate thatthe water shut off has been confirmed by the computing device 116 and/orthe computer system 124.

A variety of additional and/or alternative features can be used inassociation with the system 100. For example, the computing device 116and/or the computer system 124 can be programmed to automaticallytransmit a shut off command without user involvement. Such an automatedshut-off command may be generated based on a variety of factors, such aswhether the user computing device 126 is active and monitoring the fire122, the estimated time for the fire department to arrive at thebuilding 102, the confidence with which the fire 122 has been determinedto be extinguished based on the information from the sensors 118-120,and/or an amount of time that has elapsed since the fire 122 wasdetermined to be extinguished and/or that the shut off command was madeavailable without being activated. Such factors may be designated by anyof a variety of appropriate parties, such as the owners of the building102, the tenants of the building 102, fire officials (e.g., firemarshals), and/or insurers of the building 102.

In another example, the user of the user computing device 126 who isable to shut off the fire suppression system can include one or moreparties, such as the building owner, tenants of the building 102,private and/or public emergency response groups (e.g., home securitycompany, fire department), fire officials (e.g., fire marshal), and/orother proxies who may be designated. In some implementations, there mayneed to be consent from multiple parties for the fire suppression systemto be shut off. For instance, there may be another user computingdevice, such as one associated with a fire department and/or firemarshal, that has the same view of the building 102 and the fire 122,and which also has to consent to the water being shut off for thecomputer system 124 and/or the computing device 116 to act upon thecommand.

In another example, the computing device 116 and the other low voltagecomponents of the system 100 can be supplied with power from one or morebackup power supplies, as needed. For example, the building 102 can havea battery backup that can be used to power the computing device 116, thesensors 118-120, and/or the electromechanical control of the valve 112.

FIG. 2 depicts a system 200 for remotely controlling a fire suppressionsystem 202. The system 200 can be similar to the system 100, describedabove with regard to FIG. 1.

The system 200 includes a building 204 (e.g., the building 102) thatincludes a water system 206 with a shut off valve 208 (e.g., the valve112), a domestic water system 210 (e.g., the domestic water line 110),and the fire suppression system 202 (e.g., the fire suppression system104 with fire suppression line 106). The fire suppression system 202 caninclude a plurality of extinguishing/dousing heads 212, such as thesprinkler heads 114 a-b described above with regard to FIG. 1. The firesuppression system 202 further includes a plurality of fire detectiondevices 214 that can detect a fire and/or the presence of conditionsthat indicate that is a fire, and that can trigger, either directly orindirectly, the activation of the extinguishing/dousing heads 212. Forexample, the fire detection devices 214 can be glass bulbs that arepositioned within the extinguishing/dousing heads 212 and that burstwhen a threshold temperature is reached, thus releasing a cap/plug inthe extinguishing/dousing heads 212 and allowing water out of the heads212. The fire detection devices 214 can also be other devices, such asthe metal alloy discussed above and/or appropriate sensors. In someimplementations, the fire suppression system 202 can further include aflow switch 216 to provide an indication of whether water is flowingthrough and out of the fire suppression system 202.

The building 204 can also include sensors 218, including sensors ofmultiple different types 220 a-n. The sensors 218 can be positionedthroughout the building 204 and near/around the extinguishing/dousingheads 212 so that information regarding state of fires that may beextinguished/doused by the heads 212 is accurately obtained andreported. The sensors can be similar to the sensors 118-120 describedabove with regard to FIGS. 1A-E.

The building 204 can further include an in-building computing device222, which can be similar to the computing device 116. The computingdevice 222 can be any of a variety of appropriate computing devicesand/or systems, such as computer servers, desktop computers, laptopcomputers, mobile computing devices, cloud computing systems, and/orother appropriate computing devices/systems.

The computing device 222 includes a fire suppression system interface224 that is programmed to receive information from the fire suppressionsystem 202, such as signals transmitted by the fire detection devices214 indicating that a fire and/or fire conditions have been detected,and that the extinguishing/dousing heads 212 have been activated. Forexample, the fire suppression system 202 can include a low voltagesystem over which signals from the fire detection devices 214 aretransmitted. The fire suppression system interface 224 can include amonitor module 226 that is programmed to continuously monitor andinterpret signals from the fire suppression system 202.

The computing device 222 also includes a sensor interface 228 that issimilar to the interface 224 and that is programmed to receiveinformation from the sensors 218. The sensor interface 228 includes amonitor module 230 that is programmed to continuously monitor andinterpret signals from the sensors 218. The sensor interface 228 canfurther include an analysis module 232 that is programmed to analyze thesignals from the sensors 218 to determine various states/conditionsthroughout the building 204, such as whether a fire or fire conditionsexist at various locations within the building 204. For example, theanalysis module 232 can use various threshold values for parameters thatare sensed/detected by the sensors 218 to determine states/conditions.

The computing device 222 can further include a shut off valve interface234 that is programmed to interface with the shut off valve 208 and tocontrol an electromechanical device that controls the shut off valve208. The shut off valve interface 234 includes a monitor module 236 thatis programmed to continuously monitor information transmitted by theelectromechanical device, such as information indicating whether theshut off valve 208 is open or closed. The shut off valve interface 234also includes a control module 238 that is programmed to control theoperation of the shut off valve, such as transmitting control signals tothe electromechanical device that controls the shut off valve 208.

The computing device 222 further includes a server interface 240 thatenables communication between the computing device 222 and a computerserver system 242 over a network 244. For example, the server interface240 can include one or more communication interfaces, such as the TCP/IPprotocol stack, Ethernet interfaces, wireless networking interfaces,and/or mobile data networking interfaces.

The network 244 can be similar to the network 134, as described abovewith regard to FIGS. 1A-E, and be any of a variety of communicationnetworks over which the computing devices and computer systems that arepart of the system 200 can communicate, such as the internet, mobiledata networks (e.g., 3G/4G mobile data networks), wireless networks(e.g., Wi-Fi networks, BLUETOOTH networks), local area networks (LANs),wide area networks (WANs), virtual private networks (VPNs), fiber opticnetworks, cellular networks, and/or any combination thereof.

The computer server system 242 can be similar to the computer system 124that is discussed above with regard to FIGS. 1A-E. The computer serversystem 242 can include one or more computing devices (e.g., one or morecomputer server, cloud computing system, desktop computer, laptopcomputer) that are programmed to respond to requests from clientdevices, such as the in-building computing device 222, and to performprocesses to allow for remote control of the fire suppression system202, as described throughout this document.

The computer server system 242 includes a building information monitormodule 246 that is programmed to receive information for buildings, suchas the building 204 and other buildings not depicted, from one or morecomputing devices that are monitoring and transmitting such information,such as the in-building computing device 222 and other computing devicesassociated with other buildings. Information that is received andmonitored by the module 246 can be stored in one or more datarepositories 258 a-c, such as a log 258 a that logs buildinginformation, such as timestamped information from the sensors 218, thestate of the shut off valve 208, the state of the fire suppressionsystem 202, and commands to perform water shut off operations. The otherdata repositories include a building-user information repository 258 bthat stores information about users associated with buildings, such ascontact information and computing device identifiers for owners andtenants of the building 204; and other authorized party information datarepository 258 c that stores information about other parties that may beauthorized to received building information and alerts, such as firedepartments, fire marshals, and insurers.

The computer server system 242 further includes a fire detection module248 that is programmed to determine whether there is a fire in thebuilding 204. The computer system 242 also includes a fire extinguishingdetection module that is programmed to determine, after a fire has beendetected by the fire detection module 248, when the fire has beensufficiently extinguished that it is safe to allow for remote shut offof the water system 206 and the fire suppression system 202. Suchdeterminations made by the modules 248 and 250 can additionally bestored in the log 258 a.

The computer system also includes a user computing device interactionmodule 252 that is programmed to coordinate and manage communicationwith a user computing device 260, which can be associated with a userwith a connection to the building 204 (e.g., owner, tenant, landlord).The module 252 can perform operations similar to steps E, K, and X (140,154, and 182, respectively), described above with regard to FIG. 1, andcan communicate with the user computing device 260 over the network 244.For example, the module 252 can determine when it is appropriate toprovide/enable UI features on the computing device 260 through which theuser can remotely control the fire suppression system 202.

The user computing device 260 can be similar to the computing device126, as described above with regard to FIGS. 1A-E. The user computingdevice 260 can be any of a variety of appropriate computing devices,such as computer servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, and/ormobile computing devices (e.g., smartphones (e.g., IPHONE, ANDROIDsmartphones), cell phones (e.g., feature phones), tablet computingdevices (e.g., IPADs, ANDROID tablets), personal digital assistants(PDAs), computing devices embedded within vehicles (e.g., in-vehiclecomputer systems with displays and/or user interfaces built into thevehicles' consoles, vehicle mounted computing devices, golf carts withembedded computing devices), wearable computing devices (e.g., GOOGLEGLASS), laptop computers, netbook computers, and/or other appropriatemobile computing devices).

The computing device 260 includes an output subsystem 262 that canoutput UI features through which a user of the computing device 260 canmonitor the status of the building 204 and, when appropriate, deactivatea fire suppression system 202. The output subsystem 262 can include oneor more appropriate output devices through which information can beprovided to a user, such as a display, speakers, haptic feedback devices(e.g., vibration device), and/or other devices that are in communicationwith the device 206 (e.g., wireless headset). The computing device 260further includes an input subsystem 264 through which a user can provideinput, such as a command to turn off the fire suppression system 202.The input subsystem 264 can include one or more appropriate inputdevices through which a user of the device 260 can provide input, suchas a touchscreen, physical buttons/keys, microphones, cameras, and/orother appropriate input devices (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes).

The user computing device 260 further includes a fire suppressionapplication 266 that is programmed to communicate with the server system242 to obtain information about the building 204, to provide aninterface through which the user can view information about the building204, and through which a user can provide input, such as a command toturn off the fire suppression system 202. The application 266 can be ofany of a variety of appropriate types, such as software (e.g., mobileapp), hardware (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)),and/or firmware.

Water shut off commands can be transmitted by the device 260 andprovided to a water shut off valve control module 254 of the computersystem 242. The module 254 can monitor the status of the shut off valve208 and can transmit commands to the electromechanical component of thevalve 208, such as commands to open the valve 208 and commands to closethe valve 208. Commands that are received and/or sent by the module 254can be stored in the log 258 a.

The computer system 242 can further include an other authorized partyinteraction module 256, which can control the interactions with otherparties who may be authorized to receive information about the building204 and/or to control the valve 208, such as other tenants of thebuilding 204, insurers, and/or fire professionals (e.g., fire marshals,fire departments). The module 256 can interface with one or more otherauthorized party computing devices 268 that are associated with suchother parties.

The computing device 268 can be similar to the user computing device260, and can include an output subsystem 270 (similar to the outputsubsystem 262), an input subsystem 272 (similar to the input subsystem264), and a fire suppression application (similar to the application266).

FIGS. 3A-C depict flowcharts of an example technique 300 for remotelymonitoring and controlling a fire suppression system. The technique 300is performed in part by a building computing device 302, a computerserver system 304, and a user computing device 306. The buildingcomputing device 302 can be any of a variety of appropriate computingdevices, such as the computing device 116, the computing device 222,and/or other appropriate computing devices. The computer server system304 can be any of a variety of appropriate computer systems, such as thecomputer system 124, the computer system 242, and/or other appropriatecomputer systems. The user computing device 306 can be any of a varietyof appropriate computer devices, such as the user computing device 126,the user computing device 260, the other authorized party computingdevice 268, and/or other appropriate computing devices.

The building computing device 302 can provide status information to thecomputer server 304 and the device 306 without there being a fire at acorresponding building. For example, the building device 302 canperiodically (e.g., every minute, every 5 minutes, every 15 minutes,every 30 minutes, every hour, every 6 hours, every 12 hours) monitor andreport the status of the fire suppression system to the computer seversystem 304 and/or the user computing device 306 (308). The computerserver system 304 can log and report to the user the status of the firesuppression system (310), which can output the status information (312).

The building computing device 302 can detect a fire (or conditions thatindicate a fire) and/or activation of the fire suppression system withinthe building (314). In response to such a detection, the buildingcomputing device 302 can obtain, report, and/or analyze informationregarding the fire and/or other information from the sensors within thebuilding to the computer system 304 (316).

The computer server system 304 can receive and log the informationregarding the fire and/or sensors (318), and can analyze the informationto determine the status of the fire (e.g., location within building,extinguished, fire still active) (320). The computer server system 304can transmit real-time information about the fire to the user and/orother authorized parties (322). The user computing device 306 canreceive and output the information (324).

The computer server system 304 can determine whether fire has alreadybeen detected in the building (326) and, if it has not yet beendetected, the computer server system 304 can determine whether there isa fire in the building (328). If there is determined to be a fire in thebuilding (330), the computer system can log and report the fire status(332), which can be output on the user computing device 306 (334). If nofire has been detected, then the technique can loop back to step 316.

If a fire has already been detected, then a determination can be made asto whether the fire has been extinguished (336). If the fire isdetermined to not have yet been extinguished (338), then the process canloop back to step 316 and can repeatedly monitor the information fromthe building computer system 302 until the fire has been determined tobe extinguished.

If the fire is determined to have been extinguished (338), then thecomputer sever system 304 can perform a verification alert that the fireis extinguished (340). Such a verification can include any of a varietyof techniques, such as monitoring whether the extinguished determinationfor the fire remains constant for a period of time (e.g., 15 seconds, 30seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes) and/or whether a second or redundant setof sensors provides a consistent verification that the fire has beenextinguished. Referring to FIG. 3B, if the fire is verified as havingbeen extinguished (342), then the computer server system 304 cantransmit authorization to provide shut off capability to the user orother authorized parties (344). If the fire is not verified as havingbeen extinguished, then the technique 300 can loop back to step 316.

The user computing device 306 can receive the authorization and outputthe water shut off feature (346). In response to receiving user inputwith regard to the feature (348), the user computing device 306 cantransmit a water shut off command to the computer server system 304(350). Such a command can be received, logged, and retransmitted by thecomputer server system 304 (352).

The building computing device 302 can receive the water shut off command(354) and, in response to receiving the command, can activate the watershut off valve (356). The building computing device 302 can verify thatthe water is shut off (358) and can transmit information regarding thewater shut off status to the computer server system 304 (360). Thecomputer server system 304 can receive, log, and retransmit the watershut off status information (362), which can be output by the usercomputing device 302 (364).

The building computing device 302 can continue to monitor and transmitsensor information to the computer server system 304 (366), which can belogged and analyzed by the computer server system 304 to determinewhether the fire has reemerged (368). Referring to FIG. 3C, the computerserver system 304 can determine whether the fire has been detected again(370). If the fire has not been detected again, then the technique 300can loop back to step 366. If the fire has been detected again, thecomputer server system 304 can log and automatically transmit a commandto open the water shut off valve to the building computing device 302(372). The computer server system 304 can additionally notify the usercomputing device 306 that the fire has reemerged and that the water isbeing automatically turned on (384).

The building computing device 302 can receive such a command (374), canactivate opening of the water shut off valve (376), can verify that thewater in the building has been turned on again (378), and can transmitinformation regarding the water shut off status to the computer serversystem 304 (380). The computer server system 304 can log and retransmitthe status information (382), which can be output by the user computingdevice 306 (386). Once the water has been turned on again, the technique300 can loop back to step 316.

FIGS. 4A-B are conceptual diagrams of systems 400 and 450 that includeexample other authorized parties who may receive and control water shutoff valves within a building.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the example system 400 includes a building 402that includes one tenant/unit A that is supplied by a main water line404 with a valve 406 that braches into a fire suppression water line 408and a domestic water line 410. The building 402 includes a computingdevice 412 that can be used to transmit information about the building402 to a computer system 414 and that can allow for remote operation ofthe valve 406 to shut off the water supplied to the fire suppressionline 408. The computer system 414 can communicate with a computingdevice associated with a single user A (or group of users A, such as afamily) and computing devices associated with other authorized users418, which in this example are emergency services personnel, such as afire department and fire marshal with jurisdiction over the building402.

Referring to FIG. 4B, the example system 450 depicts a scenario in whicha building 452 includes multiple tenants/units A-C who share a commonmain water line 454 that is controlled by a common valve 456. In such asituation, the fire suppression water lines A-C and domestic water linesA-C for each of the tenants/units A-C can branch off of the common mainwater line 454. In such a situation, the valve 456 may be located in amechanical room/area 458 for the building 452 that can also include acomputing device 460 that can communicate with a computer system 462 andcan receive commands to control the valve 456. Each of the tenants/unitsA-C can also include computing devices A-C 464 a-c that can obtain andprovide information regarding components with the tenants/units A-C,such as status information from sprinkler heads and/or sensors that arelocated within the units A-C. The computing device A-C 464 a-c cantransmit such information to the computer system 462.

The computer system 462 can communicate status information for any oneof the tenant/units A-C to computing devices that are associated withusers for each of the units A-C, such as users A-C 466 a-c. The computersystem 462 can provide a tenant of a unit that has a fire to view allinformation about the fire and to control the valve 456 for thebuilding, and may provide some or all of these features to the otherusers. For users who do not have a fire in their unit, the computersystem 462 can additionally provide status information about theirunits, including sensor information, to the corresponding users so thatthey can track whether fire has spread to their unit as well. Theseother users may additionally be given the ability to reactivate thevalve 456 to turn the water supply to the building 452 back on. Theability to reactivate the valve 456 may be restricted (similar to thewater deactivation button being deactivated until a fire has beenverified as being extinguished) to situations in which a fire orconditions that appear to be close to a fire are detected within one ofthe other units of the building 452.

Other authorized parties who may be able to access status informationfor the building 452 and/or control the valve 456 include, in thisexample, emergency services personnel 468, such as fire departmentsand/or fire marshals.

Computing devices and computer systems described in this document thatmay be used to implement the systems, techniques, machines, and/orapparatuses can operate as clients and/or servers, and can include oneor more of a variety of appropriate computing devices, such as laptops,desktops, workstations, servers, blade servers, mainframes, mobilecomputing devices (e.g., PDAs, cellular telephones, smartphones, and/orother similar computing devices), computer storage devices (e.g.,Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drives, RFID storage devices, solidstate hard drives, hard-disc storage devices), and/or other similarcomputing devices. For example, USB flash drives may store operatingsystems and other applications, and can include input/output components,such as wireless transmitters and/or USB connectors that may be insertedinto a USB port of another computing device.

Such computing devices may include one or more of the followingcomponents: processors, memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) and/orother forms of volatile memory), storage devices (e.g., solid-state harddrive, hard disc drive, and/or other forms of non-volatile memory),high-speed interfaces connecting various components to each other (e.g.,connecting one or more processors to memory and/or to high-speedexpansion ports), and/or low speed interfaces connecting variouscomponents to each other (e.g., connecting one or more processors to alow speed bus and/or storage devices). Such components can beinterconnected using various busses, and may be mounted across one ormore motherboards that are communicatively connected to each other, orin other appropriate manners. In some implementations, computing devicescan include pluralities of the components listed above, including aplurality of processors, a plurality of memories, a plurality of typesof memories, a plurality of storage devices, and/or a plurality ofbuses. A plurality of computing devices can be connected to each otherand can coordinate at least a portion of their computing resources toperform one or more operations, such as providing a multi-processorcomputer system, a computer server system, and/or a cloud-based computersystem.

Processors can process instructions for execution within computingdevices, including instructions stored in memory and/or on storagedevices. Such processing of instructions can cause various operations tobe performed, including causing visual, audible, and/or hapticinformation to be output by one or more input/output devices, such as adisplay that is configured to output graphical information, such as agraphical user interface (GUI). Processors can be implemented as achipset of chips that include separate and/or multiple analog anddigital processors. Processors may be implemented using any of a numberof architectures, such as a CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computers)processor architecture, a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)processor architecture, and/or a MISC (Minimal Instruction Set Computer)processor architecture. Processors may provide, for example,coordination of other components computing devices, such as control ofuser interfaces, applications that are run by the devices, and wirelesscommunication by the devices.

Memory can store information within computing devices, includinginstructions to be executed by one or more processors. Memory caninclude a volatile memory unit or units, such as synchronous RAM (e.g.,double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM),DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, DDR4 SDRAM), asynchronous RAM (e.g., fast pagemode dynamic RAM (FPM DRAM), extended data out DRAM (EDO DRAM)),graphics RAM (e.g., graphics DDR4 (GDDR4), GDDR5). In someimplementations, memory can include a non-volatile memory unit or units(e.g., flash memory). Memory can also be another form ofcomputer-readable medium, such as magnetic and/or optical disks.

Storage devices can be capable of providing mass storage for computingdevices and can include a computer-readable medium, such as a floppydisk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, a Microdrive,or a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solid state memorydevice, or an array of devices, including devices in a storage areanetwork or other configurations. Computer program products can betangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as memory, storagedevices, cache memory within a processor, and/or other appropriatecomputer-readable medium. Computer program products may also containinstructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices,perform one or more methods or techniques, such as those describedabove.

High speed controllers can manage bandwidth-intensive operations forcomputing devices, while the low speed controllers can manage lowerbandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation of functions isexemplary only. In some implementations, a high-speed controller iscoupled to memory, display 616 (e.g., through a graphics processor oraccelerator), and to high-speed expansion ports, which may acceptvarious expansion cards; and a low-speed controller is coupled to one ormore storage devices and low-speed expansion ports, which may includevarious communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wirelessEthernet) that may be coupled to one or more input/output devices, suchas keyboards, pointing devices (e.g., mouse, touchpad, track ball),printers, scanners, copiers, digital cameras, microphones, displays,haptic devices, and/or networking devices such as switches and/orrouters (e.g., through a network adapter).

Displays may include any of a variety of appropriate display devices,such as TFT (Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) displays, OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays, touchscreen devices, presencesensing display devices, and/or other appropriate display technology.Displays can be coupled to appropriate circuitry for driving thedisplays to output graphical and other information to a user.

Expansion memory may also be provided and connected to computing devicesthrough one or more expansion interfaces, which may include, forexample, a SIMM (Single In Line Memory Module) card interfaces. Suchexpansion memory may provide extra storage space for computing devicesand/or may store applications or other information that is accessible bycomputing devices. For example, expansion memory may includeinstructions to carry out and/or supplement the techniques describedabove, and/or may include secure information (e.g., expansion memory mayinclude a security module and may be programmed with instructions thatpermit secure use on a computing device).

Computing devices may communicate wirelessly through one or morecommunication interfaces, which may include digital signal processingcircuitry when appropriate. Communication interfaces may provide forcommunications under various modes or protocols, such as GSM voicecalls, messaging protocols (e.g., SMS, EMS, or MMS messaging), CDMA,TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, GPRS, 4G protocols (e.g., 4G LTE), and/orother appropriate protocols. Such communication may occur, for example,through one or more radio-frequency transceivers. In addition,short-range communication may occur, such as using a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,or other such transceivers. In addition, a GPS (Global PositioningSystem) receiver module may provide additional navigation andlocation-related wireless data to computing devices, which may be usedas appropriate by applications running on computing devices.

Computing devices may also communicate audibly using one or more audiocodecs, which may receive spoken information from a user and convert itto usable digital information. Such audio codecs may additionallygenerate audible sound for a user, such as through one or more speakersthat are part of or connected to a computing device. Such sound mayinclude sound from voice telephone calls, may include recorded sound(e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.), and may also include soundgenerated by applications operating on computing devices.

Various implementations of the systems, devices, and techniquesdescribed here can be realized in digital electronic circuitry,integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application specificintegrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/orcombinations thereof. These various implementations can includeimplementation in one or more computer programs that are executableand/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least oneprogrammable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupledto receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data andinstructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and atleast one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications, or code) can include machine instructions for aprogrammable processor, and can be implemented in a high-levelprocedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or inassembly/machine language. As used herein, the terms “machine-readablemedium” “computer-readable medium” refers to any computer programproduct, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks,memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machineinstructions and/or data to a programmable processor.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here can be implemented on a computer having a display device(e.g., LCD display screen, LED display screen) for displayinginformation to users, a keyboard, and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse,a trackball, touchscreen) by which the user can provide input to thecomputer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interactionwith a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can beany form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback,and/or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in anyform, including acoustic, speech, and/or tactile input.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in acomputing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a dataserver), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., acommunication network). Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), peer-to-peernetworks (having ad-hoc or static members), grid computinginfrastructures, and the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

The above description provides examples of some implementations. Otherimplementations that are not explicitly described above are alsopossible, such as implementations based on modifications and/orvariations of the features described above. For example, the techniquesdescribed above may be implemented in different orders, with theinclusion of one or more additional steps, and/or with the exclusion ofone or more of the identified steps. Additionally, the steps andtechniques described above as being performed by some computing devicesand/or systems may alternatively, or additionally, be performed by othercomputing devices and/or systems that are described above or othercomputing devices and/or systems that are not explicitly described.Similarly, the systems, devices, and apparatuses may include one or moreadditional features, may exclude one or more of the identified features,and/or include the identified features combined in a different way thanpresented above. Features that are described as singular may beimplemented as a plurality of such features. Likewise, features that aredescribed as a plurality may be implemented as singular instances ofsuch features. The drawings are intended to be illustrative and may notprecisely depict some implementations. Variations in sizing, placement,shapes, angles, and/or the positioning of features relative to eachother are possible.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, at a computer system, information that indicates that a firehas been detected in a building and that a fire suppression systemwithin the building has begun dousing the fire; monitoring sensorinformation from one or more sensors located within the building;determining, by the computer system and based on the sensor information,whether the fire has been extinguished; transmitting, by the computersystem, an indication that the fire has been extinguished to a firstprocessor for a first user who is located at the building; receiving, bythe computer system and from the first processor, a request to transmitthe indication that the fire has been extinguished to a second processorfor a second user who is remote from the building; determining, by thecomputer system, that the second processor for the second user isassociated with the building; transmitting, by the computer system andin response to determining that the second processor for the second useris associated with the building, the indication that the fire has beenextinguished to the second processor; activating, in response todetermining that the fire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off awater supply to the building, the feature being presented on the secondprocessor for the second user who is remote from the building;receiving, after activating the feature and from the second processor, acommand to turn off the water supply; transmitting, by the computersystem, a control signal that causes an electromechanical device toclose a water valve within the building; and transmitting, by thecomputing system, an updated notification that the water supply isturned off to both the first processor and the second processor.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electromechanicaldevice comprises a solenoid valve that is located along the water supplyfor the building and at a position upstream of the fire suppressionsystem.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising sending an alert to both the first processor and the secondprocessor that causes details about the fire in the building to beoutput to both the first user and the second user, wherein the featureis deactivated on the second computing device at a time the details areoutput.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein: thesecond processor is configured to present the feature in a userinterface of the second processor, activating the feature comprisestransmitting, by the computer system, activation information to thesecond processor to cause the second processor to activate the feature,the second processor is configured to prohibit user selection of thefeature when the feature is deactivated, and the second processor isconfigured to permit user selection of the feature when the feature isactivated.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein thefeature comprises a selectable button that is displayed in the userinterface.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: activating, in response to determining that the fire hasbeen extinguished, the feature to turn off the water supply to thebuilding, the feature being presented on the first processor for thefirst user who is located at the building; receiving, after activatingthe feature and from the first processor, a confirmation command to turnoff the water supply; and transmitting, by the computer system and basedon the command to turn off the water supply from the second processorand the confirmation command from the first processor, the controlsignal that causes the electromechanical device to close the water valvewithin the building.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6,wherein activating, in response to determining that the fire has beenextinguished, the feature to turn off the water supply to the building,the feature being presented on the first processor for the first userwho is located at the building further comprises: determining a locationof the first user in the building based on monitoring sensor informationfrom the one or more sensors located within the building; activating thefeature being presented on the first processor based on determining thatthe first user is located proximate to the fire; and activating a secondfeature to contact emergency services, the second feature beingpresented on the first processor for the first user.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:transmitting, by the computer system and to the second processor, thelocation of the first user in the building; activating, by the computersystem, the second feature to contact emergency services, the secondfeature being presented on the second processor for the second user; andreceiving, by the computer system and from the second processor, acommand to contact the emergency services.
 9. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 8, wherein receiving, by the computer system and fromthe second processor, the command to contact the emergency servicesfurther comprises overriding a denial command from the first processorfor the first user to contact the emergency services.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first user is anoccupant of the building and the second user is a first responder at afire department.
 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: presenting, at both the first processor and the secondprocessor, a user interface providing real time status information forthe fire, the real time status information being provided by thecomputer system based on information detected by the one or more sensorslocated within the building; and automatically disabling, by both thefirst processor and the second processor when the user interface isinitially presented, the feature to turn off the water supply to thebuilding.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thereal time status information includes (i) information indicating whetherthe fire is still burning, (ii) information indicating whether the firesuppression system has begun dispensing water onto the fire, and (iii)location information of the first user located at the building.
 13. Asystem comprising: one or more sensors located within a building thatare configured to detect fires in the building; an electromechanicaldevice to control a water valve located along a water supply for thebuilding and at a position upstream of a fire suppression system for thebuilding; a first processor configured to display information about afire within the building to a first user who is located at the building;a second processor configured to display information about a fire withinthe building to a second user who is remote from the building; and acomputer system with one or more processors that are programmed to:receive information that indicates that a fire has been detected in thebuilding and the a fire suppression system within the building has begundousing the fire; monitor sensor information from the one or moresensors located within the building; determine, based on the sensorinformation, whether the fire has been extinguished; transmit anindication that the fire has been extinguished to the first processor;receive, from the first processor, a request to transmit the indicationthat the fire has been extinguished to the second processor; determinethat the second processor is associated with the building; transmit, inresponse to determining that the second processor is associated with thebuilding, the indication that the fire has been extinguished to thesecond processor; activate, in response to determining that the fire hasbeen extinguished, a feature to turn off the water supply to thebuilding, the feature being presented on the second processor; receive,from the second processor, a command to turn off the water supply;transmit a control signal that causes the electromechanical device toclose the water valve within the building; and transmit an updatednotification that the water supply is turned off to both the firstprocessor and the second processor.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereinthe computer system is further programmed to send an alert to both thefirst processor and the second processor that causes details about thefire in the building to be output to both the first user and the seconduser, wherein the feature is deactivated on the second processor at thetime the details are output.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein thecomputer system is further programmed to activate the feature based ontransmitting activation information to the second processor to cause thesecond processor to present the feature in a user interface of thesecond processor and activate the feature on the user interface of thesecond processor.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the secondprocessor is configured to prohibit user selection of the feature whenthe feature is deactivated and permit user selection of the feature whenthe feature is activated.
 17. The system of claim 13, wherein thecomputer system is further programmed to: activate, in response todetermining that the fire has been extinguished, the feature to turn offthe water supply to the building, the feature being presented on thefirst processor; receive, after activating the feature and from thefirst processor, a confirmation command to turn off the water supply;and transmit, based on the command to turn off the water supply from thesecond processor and the confirmation command from the first processor,the control signal that causes the electromechanical device to close thewater valve within the building.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein thecomputer system is further programmed to: determine a location of thefirst user in the building based on monitoring sensor information fromthe one or more sensors located within the building; activate thefeature being presented on the first processor based on determining thatthe first user is located proximate to the fire; and activate a secondfeature to contact emergency services, the second feature beingpresented on the first processor.
 19. The system of claim 18, whereinthe computer system is further programmed to: transmit to the secondprocessor the location of the first user in the building; activate thesecond feature to contact emergency services, the second feature beingpresented on the second processor; and receive, from the secondprocessor, a command to contact the emergency services.
 20. The systemof claim 19, wherein the computer system is further programmed tooverride a denial command from the first processor for the first user tocontact the emergency services.